Recipe - Pear Pecan Napoleon

PEARS
6 Pears, peeled, cored, and
cut or sliced up ; 1/4" thick
2/3 cup Granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

PECAN PASTE
2 cup (8 ounces) pecans; toasted
2 tablespoon Granulated sugar
2 tablespoon Water
1 One half teaspoon Finely chopped orange zest
1 Pinch of salt
1 pound Puff Pastry

Pears: Place the pears, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon in a large
saute pan. Cook over mediumhigh heat, stirring occasionally, until the
pears are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, 10 to

15 minutes. Let cool.

Pecan Paste: In a food processor, finely grind the pecans and granulated
sugar. Place the pecan mixture in a small bowl and add the water, orange
zest, and salt. Mix just until combined.

Puff Pastry: On a lightly floured work surface, roll the piece of puff
pastry into a 16inch square. Cut into 4 rectangles, each 4 inches wide by
16 inches long. With a fork, pierce small holes all over the pastry. Place
the rectangles on two baking sheets. Freeze or refrigerate until firm.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place a second baking sheet or an inverted wire mesh rack on top of the
puff pastry to prevent it from rising as it bakes. Bake until golden brown,
1015 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Assembly: Spread 1/3 of the pecan paste on one of the rectangles of puff
pastry. Carefully layer 1/3 of the pears over the pecan paste. Layer two
more pieces of pastry with the remaining pecan paste and pears in the same
manner. Using a wide metal spatula, carefully stack these three pieces of
pastry.

In a small bowl mix together the sugar and the cinnamon. Dust the fourth
piece of puff pastry with the cinnamon sugar and place it on top of the
stacked layers of pastry.

Using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, trim the edges of the
napoleon so that they are even. In the same manner, cut the napoleon into 8
pieces and serve a portion on each of 8 plates.
Recipe By : COOKING LIVE SHOW #CL8743

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #258

Date: Fri, 25 Oct 1996 09:05:52 0500

From: "Jon and Angele Freeman" jfreeman@netusa1.net

NOTES : (Recipes Courtesy of Emily Luchetti)